The Magic of Orphan Cookies
“You seeing what I’m seeing?”
“Are those what I think it is?”
“Is she planning to share those?”
Scootaloo grinned as she leaned back in her school seat, forelegs behind her head and hooves propped up on the desk. Casually pretending to ignore the whispers around her, she let out a content sigh.
“Wow, Scoots! Whaddya got there?”
The young pegasus cracked open her eyes as she made out the sight of her best friends heading her way, eyeing the box on her desk as much as everyone else. Unlike the hushed whispers around her, Scootaloo did answer her friend’s question.
Sitting up, she straightened out the pink and purple striped box on her desk, careful not to smudge the clear plastic lid on top. “These…” she said, drawing a smirk, “Are cookies.”
Applebloom rolled her eyes. “Ah can see that much.”
“Why do you have them?” Sweetie piped in, taking a strong whiff of the box. Even with the lid still on, she left with a dreamy look on her face.
She shrugged as innocently as a filly could.
“Are ya goin’ to share them?”
Instantly, all the whispers around the class hushed, leaving an ominous silence hanging in the air. Scootaloo only smirked. Just what she was waiting for! She knew every one of these classmates had been waiting for someone to ask the forbidden question, but no one wanted to do it themselves.
She looked down at her cookies before answering, being greeted by the sight of two dozen fresh and soft treats, each laden with chocolate chips. “I—”
“Yeah, are you?” one student called.
“Can I have two?” another said.
With that, the class erupted into a frenzy of cookie-deprived pleading. “Hey, I want two!”
“Let her decide! But if she wants to give me two…”
“How about three?!”
Scootaloo watched wide-eyed as the entire class found itself pleading at the edge of her desk. She shot a glance to her friends, but Sweetie only answered with a helpless stare, her eyes dancing between Scootaloo and the students. Applebloom was busy barking at some poor colt that had tried for a wild grab at the box.
The pegasus’ attention was turned upward as she recognized… her voice. “What’s going on here?” it yelled as a pink-coated filly pushed her way through the crowd, closely followed by her silver partner in crime. Her face morphed into a pompous sneer as she spotted Scootaloo, but she faltered for a moment as she noticed the pink container. “And what is this?” Diamond demanded, “Why is everyone in a state of near-riot?”
“Cookies,” she answered simply.
“Cookies?” She glanced through the plastic screen, seeing the rows of chocolate delicacies for herself.
As she did so, Silver glanced at Scootaloo. “Why do you have cookies?”
Once again, only a shrug answered the question.
“You… You’re planning something,” Diamond suddenly accused, pointedly glaring at her.
“Who? Me?”
“Don’t act so innocent. If these were just cookies, you three blank-flanks would’ve been stuffing your faces with them already.”
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, Diamond. Look, class is starting.”
Sure enough, Cheerilee was walking into the classroom as everyone looked toward the front of the room. Dropping her books onto her desk, she announced, “Good morning everyone!”
“Good morning,” the class recited back.
Knowing the drill to take a seat as the day’s first lecture was about to begin, Diamond sent one last steely glare Scootaloo’s way. “I’m watching you…” she hissed.
Seeing her walk away, the pegasus had to suppress a grin. “You should be watching the cookies,” she whispered under her breath.
“Alright, everyone! Time for recess,” Cheerilee called as she collected the last of the students’ worksheets.
Before the class could break into a mob of cheers and swarming for the door, Scootaloo snatched up her box of cookies and made a beeline for the exit, calling to her friends, “Come on guys! Let’s go!”
Applebloom and Sweetie shared a glance before mutually shrugging, hopping up to catch their eager friend.
Outside, the three met up at their usual bench. “What’s got you so excited?” Sweetie asked.
“Cookies.”
“Scoots, you’ve been teasin’ the class all day with them cookies. Not once have you opened the box or told anyone if you’re sharin’. What are ya doin with them?”
“Yeah. Where’d you ever get them?”
Scootaloo shrugged, drawing a groan out of her friends. Running her hoof through her cerise mane, she said, “Alright, alright, I’m planning something.”
“Oh, really?”
“Really. Just wait for everyone else to come out and you’ll see.”
In a few moments, the rest of the class came gushing out the schoolhouse’s door. The usual ponies broke off into their usual groups, but Scootaloo knew they were all eyeing her. It wasn’t natural for a foal to be kept from sugary desserts for this long. Looking around one final time, Scootaloo climbed to the top of the bench. Taking a deep breath, she yelled at the top of her lungs, “COOKIES!”
The reaction was immediate.
From all directions, masses of wild foals rushed at Scootaloo and her two friends that were being caught in the onslaught. Much like the classroom earlier except without the restraint of being indoors, the crowd forming around her broke into a dissonant chant of phrases about who got to go first and how many each got.
“Quiet! Quiet!” Scootaloo yelled, getting everyone’s attention. “So you all want cookies?”
A chorus of “yes” and “yeah” answered her.
“Well you’re going to get cookies!”
The foals all cheered as bright, beaming smiles of pure ecstasy came across their faces. Some laughed. Some cried. One fainted.
“…Under one condition.”
The schoolyard went silent.
Scootaloo glanced through the crowd, ignoring the anxious faces peering at her. She was looking for two in particular. “Where’s Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?”
After a moment of confused whispering, a line broke the crowd in two, revealing the two fillies in the back. Diamond glared at Scootaloo while Silver looked more uncomfortable than anything else.
“What do you want?” Diamond yelled back.
“I could ask you the same thing,” she yelled back, though not sounding hostile.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Scootaloo shook her head. “Come here.”
Diamond glanced left and right at the crowd before turning her head up with a “hmph!” “Come along, Silver.”
“Uh, right.”
The two made their way toward Scootaloo, Diamond trying to keep up her nonchalant demeanor. “What do you want, blank-flank?”
Darning a smile, Scootaloo opened the box, letting the aroma finally break into the air for everyone to have. Pulling out two cookies, she said, “Want some cookies?” She ignored the gasps coming from her two friends beside her.
Diamond blinked. “You… You’re offering us cookies.”
“Yes.”
“Before everyone else.”
“Mmhm.”
Breaking into a scowl, Diamond said, “I don’t need your cookies. I can have my own prepared just for me. I bet those are all stale, anyway. Right, Silver?”
Silver slowly lowered her hoof back down.
“Exactly.”
Scootaloo smirked, drawing a suspicious glare out of the earth pony. “That’s too bad. Cause no one is getting cookies unless you two have some.”
A wild gasp rang throughout the crowd. Wide-eyed, Diamond looked all around her, seeing the expectant stares all directed at her. The attention was all on her.
“Silver…” she said, “Don’t take a—”
*Crunch!*
Diamond gasped, her head whipping around just in time to see her best friend stuffing the remains of a cookie into her muzzle. “Silver!”
“I’m sowwy!” she cried through packed cheeks, “It’s too good!”
“Er… Get out of here!” she yelled, prompting the silver-coated filly to hightail it out and into the crowd.
“So what do you say, Diamond? Cookie?”
“No way. I-I bet you poisoned them or something.”
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. She took a bite out of the cookie she held, saying, “See? It’s fine.” Offering it back to Diamond, the earth pony recoiled away from it.
“You bit that one! I’m not having that one!”
“So you are having one?”
Diamond bit her lip, looking around the crowd once again, every single set of eyes matched her own. With a glare to Scootaloo, she muttered, “Give one here…”
“Sure thing!” the pegasus chimed, beaming at her success. Passing one to Diamond, she watched her sniff the cookie before reluctantly taking a bite. Not showing any emotion, she walked off with her cookie and one last dirty look to each of the crusaders.
Scootaloo watched her for a few moments before turning to the crowd. “Cookies!”
They exploded into cheers.
“How was school today, Scootaloo?”
Turning toward her caretaker, the orange-coated filly grinned from ear-to-ear. “It was great! It worked just as you said. Thanks, Miss Juniper!”
“Glad to hear it,” the older mare replied, setting down her newspaper.
“What should I bring in next? Candy bars?”
Juniper couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of the filly’s eagerness. She may not have been the actual mother to any of the foals in her care, but she lived to play the role. “If you think it’ll work, dear. But remember, why did I tell you to do this?”
“It wasn’t to embarrass a bully?” Scootaloo recited, having had that made clear to her the night before.
“Correct. And to make friends with them.”
“…I still don’t see how doing this will accomplish that.”
Nodding, she said, “And it may or may not. But you’re a clever filly, Scootaloo. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
“Uh-huh. Well thanks, Miss Juniper!” she said before scampering off.
“Anytime! Heh, anytime.”
